Under The Ice
by Jyocka
Summary: He was a cold, cruel and possibly heartless Prince. She was a young, cheerful mermaid forced to leave her beloved underwater home to serve him. Can she succeed in saving his ice-ravaged lands, and, more importantly, his ice-ravaged heart?
1. Awakening

Disclaimer:I don't own any fairytales, including any that I have drawn inspiration from in this story.

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**Under The Ice**

**_Chapter 1: Awakening_**

Once upon a time, in a land made of ice and stone there lived a young King whose heart was colder than the icy frostbitten grounds surrounding his palace. Day in and day out he lived only for more and more greed to acquire for his own devious purposes – though only little of it was used in aiding his people.

He smuggled, bribed, demanded, threatened and bullied the Ruling Court, of which he was the Master, to do as he pleased. He was never satisfied, his hands always open to seize more and more from the cities on the mainland and tribes of the surrounding mountains.

The king's name was Tybalt.

He paid no heed to the fact his people suffered from famine and a disease call Malifluous, which killed thousands every year; instead he grew crueler as the years passed. His parents had both died young, succumbing to the terrible cold winds which covered all of the land. Tybalt, as their only heir had become King as the tender age of 17.

He cared naught for the fact that other neighboring countries despised his politics and stayed as far away from his land, called Irious - an island not far from the mainland - lest his deplorable methods of trading and money laundering robbed them of their wealth.

As the years passed Tybalt used methods which made some rethink his sense of humanity, forcing millions to become slaves and cultivate Irious's only export, ferlich. Ferlich was a type of rock which could be mined deep in the ice caves north of the capital, where Tybalt lived. It was a city named after his father - Ricolous.

And so for three long years Tybalt lived in this way, growing older, colder…smarter. He grew overconfident and began playing a dangerous game of provoking his enemies, namely, the mountain tribes who protested his actions, to turn against each other. This effectively caused all his opposition to cave in on themselves, leaving him to laugh chillingly at their primal gullibility.

(Tybalt's idea of fun.)

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Flander flicked her long, silver tail impatiently as she waited outside of Korral's shell. The almost murky-black water, as usual, froze her fins to the point of numbness, and she automatically swum-paced around the shell to dispel the first tendrils of Aquabite. Despite her edginess, she found herself observing the way her fins followed her long body around, flicking effortlessly around her flesh in several, too quick flashes of silver.

Fins she would soon no longer posses.

Flander twitched her heard to dispel the disconcerting thought into the depths of her mind; one problem at a time. Again, she knocked on the silent, pale blue shell, and then resumed her pacing. Moodily, she used her fins to create a strong ripple of water towards an inquisitive seahorse creeping through the reeds near the glimmering shell, offending it so much that it gave a very loud, indignant squeak before hastily speeding away.

She hoped very much that Korral was home; she dreading thinking that he somehow blamed her for the Trident's choice, and was choosing to avoid her as a result. She tried to convince herself that she was overreacting - _everyone_knew the rule: protect the waters first, from foe and folly. Everything else came second. With this knowledge, Flander managed to convince herself that it really wasn't her fault. Minutes passed, and she let out a scream of annoyance, completely losing her patience with the mute shell.

'Korral! I know you're inside! Please, don't embarrass me like this. Come out, talk to me. I shouldn't have to comfort you...you should be comforting me, silly.' She said, her voice betraying her amusement. She knew she was goading him – he was one person whose loyalty the Goddess of Sea she did not have to doubt.

'I'm quite alright, thanks.' His irritated voice came out muffled and distorted from the depths of the shell. Flander smiled sadly and perched on the top of the pearly white shell. 'Then stop moping and come out. I have to see you. I need you, and there isn't much time left, you know.'

In a movement too quick even for her, the clam-like shell flipped open and she toppled over into the soft sand with a squeal of surprise. Haughtily pulling herself up, she glared at the young merman in front of her, her hands firmly on her hips.

'You did that on purpose.' She accused, smoothing back her slightly rippling russet tresses.

He looked at her with some amusement, but his eyes were full of some emotion she couldn't name and without any warning; she felt an overpowering surge of affection for the almost mer_boy_-like merman before her. As usual, she was unable to contain her emotions and with another effortless flick, Flander propelled herself into Korral's waiting arms. It was a long time before either one of them relinquished their hold on each other, but finally, Flander regretfully pulled away, gazing into his eyes. She didn't need to say anything…there was no need to speak – they understood each other perfectly.

Though Flander's older sister, Shani, thought the color of Korral's eyes resembled clumps of seaweed, Flander privately thought they glowed like emeralds from shipwrecks, especially when they saw her.

Right now, however, they were anguished and dark. 'I'll miss you.' He whispered, holding her close.

'It's a good thing I haven't become too attached.' She joked feebly, trying to cheer him up. It was hard to be truly depressed. The Wakening had chosen her, of all merpeople, to break free of the waters and venture to the world beyond. She liked to think that she liked Korral very much, but even the thought of leaving him and the black cold water which was her home behind didn't diminish her elation at being singled out for such an honor.

'So…you will become our Sole Ambassador, I trust?' He asked, his lips tightening. Flander thought she knew why – King Tybalt, whom she would be assisting in all matters of Mer, had quite a despicable reputation – and for the past 10 years, only one ambassador between the two worlds had been requested. She had recently Mated with a Human Man – Flander shuddered – and wanted to start a family. Thus, the King had requested (more like _demanded_) a new Ambassador to join his court.

'You know, I'm sure the Voltures are exaggerating, as usual,' she said brightly. She did not only say this to assuage his pain, but because she truly believed so. The Voltures, the solitary link to the humans, were large, overgrown birds, bred solely for this purpose. They were not well suited to the cold, harsh climates of the land, and as a result were resentful, bitter creatures, eternally fantasizing of warmer, drier lands.

They were employed by the King and his Court because of their reliability and intelligence, but were known to detest their merciless captors with a deeply ingrained grudge. However, with the merfolk, they were cordial – they told them much of the news above seas, especially the state of the land and its people. Of late, they had reported a definite worsening of conditions, if that was even possible; the people were more miserable, desperate than before, and lived in a state of bleak obedience to the king. It really didn't matter whether Flander was above the sea or under it; the situation was deplorable everywhere, and Korral knew it. It really wasn't surprising the merfolk and the Vultures got along so well, Flander mused – both creatures had a streak of wildness in their nature, both had a common enemy, and both hated the cruel, harsh, eternal winter oppressing the land.

Flander and Korral spent the remainder of the long night together, enjoying the togetherness for one last night. They did not worry too much about the future, about tomorrow…they knew it was their last night together, and simply enjoyed the moment, ignoring the streak of sadness underneath the smiles on each others faces.

Morning came many hours too soon – and what a fitting morning it was for a young mermaid to first break the surface of the ocean as a human! – all bright gold and pink streaks of light, gently lighting up the motes of sand in the water, dully at first, but then brighter and brighter until the entire land of Mer was alight in glowing light. Such a dawn hadn't touched the waters for quite a while, and the merpeople rejoiced.

Inside the pale blue shell, a pair of friends – perhaps, could've been lovers with time – said their goodbyes. Flander tried to say something, but he pressed a finger to her lips, and she finally smiled – he didn't need her to say a word….they simply _knew _what each other was feeling, what was unsaid, what could been. But he would survive, of that Flander was sure; merman were fickle by nature, and fell in love many time before finding their true mate, and Korral was no different. It was his friendship she would miss the most, but suspected that with time their love as friends might have blossomed into more. She forced herself not to focus on what might have been, content in the knowledge that she would always have one true friend here.

Gently ruffling his mahogany hair, she kissed his eyes, then forehead, and lastly, a light peck to his blue lips for the last time. His pale face shone with regret and sorrow, reflecting everything she had come to know and love – he was her comfort, her anchor. But every mermaid knew that the Awakening was not to be stopped just like the tide, and every three years when one was chosen, the entire underwater city supported their young ones as they embarked on a new kind of journey – above land, a place historically loved by merfolk almost as much as the sea.

Flander floated out of the shell and with one last glance back at Korral she slipped away to give herself up to the mercies of the world of Humans.

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**Please review.**

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	2. Human

Under The Ice

**Under The Ice**

Disclaimer: I don't own any fairytales, including any that I have drawn inspiration from to write this story.

_**Chapter 2: Human**_

Flander chickened out, and decided to "live' for one more day.

From Korral's shell, she swam home. The next hour was spent in embracing her family – her father, mother, two sisters…they all blessed her, for it was a true honor, for the Trident to have chosen her. The family would live in honor forever, for their sacrifice. Her mother, Wrinka, kissed her forehead, her cheeks, and her nose. She tried to smile through tears, and promised to send word often through the Vultures.

Her father, his ruddy cheeks looking unusually pale, then spent some time alone with her in his private cave, where he explained many things about the Human world which she had already found out through the older mermaid gossip…but she listened anyway. Advice from her father meant a lot to Flander. The facts of human mating and customs and rituals called _marriage _were just some of the strange things he warned her about; she realized that he was resigned to her finding a human to mate with when her time came. Flander decided not to dwell too much on the unsettling thought. Finally, she swum quickly round to her favorite haunts and said farewell to her closest fish friends…and said her last goodbyes to her family.

The last thing her father told her, the last caution she was to receive, was this: "You are small, and not very strong. You take criticism to heart, but make decisions with your head. This is your strength…guard it well, for when your body fails you and confuses you (as it surely will, at least at first) your mind will always stay true to you." Flander promised she would heed it well, but privately resolved to become accustomed to her new body very quickly. The last thing she wanted was the Vultures to send news home of her shaming her family with her incapability to control her body, or not fitting in with the humans. How hard could it be?

As the rosy dusk like penetrated the surface of the icy waters, effusing the world with a reddish glow, Flander swum directly to the Palace of the Sea Goddess, without too much ceremony. The Goddess was named Marina, and she insisted that everyone called her by her first name. Ironically, no one dared disobey her in any other matter but this; all the merfolk still called her 'Goddess', or if they were really bold, 'Goddess Marina'. Flander privately thought the Goddess was the most beautiful mermaid in the sea; despite her wrinkled hands and face…her eyes seemed to glow with wisdom and youth, a contrast to her frail body, and her dulling tail.

"Flander!" she cried, welcoming her with open arms. By now, Flander's courage and ability to smile cheerfully about her situation was waning. She shivered uncontrollably, eyes cast down, her heart pounding furiously as her body realized it would no longer be…it would be cast aside, half of it, at least, to make way for new…her teeth chattered…_legs_.

Her fear did not escape the old mermaid's still sharp eyes; immediately, she led Flander to an area behind the shining pink Palace, where the ground rumbled gently, and bubbles of heat were periodically emitted from the ground. Flander gratefully sunk to the ground, basking in the warmth she hadn't experienced for almost all her life. All merfolk, save the small, fragile merbabies, could survive the icy waters, but all preferred warmer waters, and all had a fascination with land and the beautiful sun. No one had actually looked at the sun, of course – no mermaid's eyes could look at the sun directly. But they had pilfered human poetry and paintings, and so knew it was a round ball of fiery power. In the old days, when merfolk were safe near land, and had no fear of the human fish hunters called _fishermen_, it was common practice to go to the surface at dusk, with maybe a lover, to watch the sun's reflection as it sunk beneath the water. Nowadays, of course, it was unheard of to go near the feared surface.

Flander reflected on all this as she luxuriated in the welcome heat of the ground behind the Goddess' Palace. She watched, relaxing a little, as the Goddess sunk down into the weeds and rock beside her. They lay side by side in the absolute silence, soaking up the serene peace permeating the land underwater.

"How long do I have?" Flander asked presently.

"I would invite you to stay the night, of course, and we can begin anytime you are ready tomorrow…but I suggest we do not delay too much, for it is a long process, and the sooner you become accustomed to the land of Men, the better it will be for you." Said Marina, in her slow, calm tone. She seemed in no hurry, but Flander suspected Marina expected her to need the night before she felt ready to leave her home.

_This is my first test,_ she thought. Reluctantly, her body unwilling to leave the heat source, she lifted herself into the cooler water away from the rocks. She hid a sigh as she could already feel the cool water surrounding her flesh. Keeping the image of the sun she had seen in a faraway shipwreck firmly in her mind, to remind her of the fact she would soon be near fire and heat, she said, "I am ready." And Marina simply nodded, but Flander saw approval in her dark, unreadable eyes.

The old Sea Goddess toiled into the night, spinning great strands of powerful magic from her trident, around the slim body of the young mermaid. More and more levels of enchantment, words of Creation and Change and Adaptation, were spewed forth from the powerful mermaid, never hesitating, never pausing for breath. Finally, near the break of dawn, she uttered the final words, and a strong band of gold light shot from the Trident and wrapped itself around Flander's still body; she herself was in a trance, only dimly aware of what was happening. Marina had explained that the sensations (she did not say pain) would be too much for her mind to accept, and so she would have to be put into a trance like state.

When the gold light finally released the limp body, a crack like lighting was sounded around all the oceans, reverberating in the grounds, waking Korral in his shell, Flander's parents and sisters in their cave, and the entire population of merfolk…in that one moment, they were all united in lamenting the loss of one of their own, relinquishing one of their kin to the world above the waters.

Marina watched with solemn eyes as the dawn light illuminated a slim, completely naked human body slowly sinking back into the gloom. Still, Marina watched, not making in movement to aid her, for the mermaid was now Human. And suddenly, the eyes, silver no longer, flashed open; the weak pale legs a poor replacement for the magnificent silver fins, kicked into action, as the girl began kicking her way instinctively to the surface. Her eyes could no longer discern shapes in the sea which before she had effortlessly made out, but she dimly saw the billowing silver hair of the ancient Goddess, and her lips forming the words (for she could no longer hear her underwater) "We will meet again." The girl understood the farewell gesture, for it was what the merfolk said when one of their own died. She nodded once, and then realizing that she could no longer stay underwater, that the tightening in her chest was her lungs screaming for the one thing she had never needed before – air – meant it was time to leave.

So with one final kick, her head broke the surface of the water, into the cold, crisp dawn air. She flung her head back, floating for a minute, panting as her lungs took in gulp after gulp of air. Slowly, her eyes adjusted to the light, and she clawed her way to shore with awkward strokes, which before had been so effortless but now left her tired, and gasping for breath after breath. Finally, she reached land, following the directions she had previously received, to swim West…away from the slowly rising sun, and away from the only world she had ever known. She pulled herself onto the rather grey beach, and collapsed on the brittle sand, the small pebbles not bothering her body.

She was no longer Flander, young mermaid…this was Elena, eighteen year old Human Girl._ World beware, _she thought sleepily, and promptly fell asleep under the sun, a small smile on her still blue lips.

In his fortress-like castle, the Prince tried to tune out the insistent voice of his advisor, Salim.

"But, Highness, it is tradition. It is unheard of for the Royal family not to personally go and welcome the fish representative. You would be wise not to insult it, you know."

The Prince snorted rather unattractively. "Why? What is it going to do to me, slap me with its slimy tail?"

Salim smiled tightly. "Ah, Highness, you remember that the transformation takes place below water…the fish is now a normal, human girl. Like Milena was."

The Prince frowned, his smooth, pale face looking threatening and inaccessible. "Milena was a little crazy…she never actually had many things to do with the actual running of our operations with the Merpeople. She seemed more interested in marrying that fisherman, settling down." He drawled slowly, trying to remember the previous Mer representative.

Salim cleared his throat, his eyes shifting side to side. "Yes, well, like I said before, Highness, the employing of a representative is merely a formality in the actual proceedings of things. You will still be free to do as you please in all decisions related to Mer, you know."

The Prince smirked. Salim had spoken well, oiling over the threat of authority that the new representative brought. When he had heard that he was to personally go and receive the fish-girl, the Prince had felt irritated and stubborn. Why should he, the ruler of the land, leave his comfortable, warm castle to go and greet a nasty _fish?_ But after hearing Salim's words, he realized that the fishgirl was an inconsequential addition to his court. The Prince felt very powerful and confident and rich, which meant his advisor was doing a good job.

"Well, then, in that case…It would be my pleasure to go receive this fish girl." The Prince answered, smiling cruelly. He was looking forward very much to meeting someone who was supposedly sent to help him rule his land. He had a feeling he would enjoy watching her try very, very much.


	3. Cold

Elena woke slowly, tiredly under the cold, heartless glare of the sun. The beach was bare and ugly in the sunlight, and for a few minutes she simply sat up and looked at her surroundings. To any normal human, the area would have have been something close to depressing; the term 'beach' was a stretch for the landscape surrounding her. There was a lot of disconcertingly large amount of sparse scrub and sharp, uncomfortable rocks scattered around. Elena was only just beginning to become aware of the pebbles beneath her back; already pockets of pain were erupting around her naked and fragile body. Gingerly, she pulled herself up, and slowly lifted her body off the ground.

It took a good five minutes to figure out how to stand; logically, she figured, the legs were supposed to prop up her upper body, much like her tail had done to keep herself upright back home. But underwater, she had not had to contend with the likes of gravity and balance. She had also never actually had the experience of falling over, and she soon found she didn't care for it much.

An hour passed, and the sun moved overhead; Elena slowly progressed from sitting, to crawling to shakily standing. She supposed she resembled a newborn human babe, and it comforted her to know she was progressing at a far quicker rate than human babies did, at least. He legs did not feel strong, and her skin felt raw and exposed without the comfort of water filling all space. There was just so much _air_, she mused, as she finally managed to totter over to a shade under a wimpy little tree farther away from the sea. She leaned her back tiredly against the bark of the tree, content to just sit, enjoying the respite from the sun.

It occurred to her that humans were prone to cover their bodies with strange net like objects, and she too should find some. She had no clue why anyone would want to trap their skin in material, instead of letting it breathe all the wonderful air, but she decided to try the human method first.

In this aspect she was actually quite lucky, for she found clothing relatively easily; there was a thick, heavy jute like material lying stranded a little way away. After a sufficient amount of rest, she crawled over to investigate.

The material had probably been abandoned by a ship that no longer had any need for it; Elena felt quite lucky to find in so many different sizes of scraps, and quickly found a strip of cloth which looked about right to her.

Painstakingly she clambered to her feet, afraid of falling on the hard ground once more. Now came the tricky part; how to make the scrap into convincing human net covering. "What to do, what do…" She muttered to herself, and attempted to cover her head with the cloth. "No, that can't be right…it should probably cover the _body_…" She wrapped it around her hips, leaving her upper body bare, and sighed with satisfaction. This felt right. A breeze started up, tickled the back of her neck and the small of her back.

A sound from one of the bushes. Elena glanced up, a little nervous, and saw it was just a boy, around maybe 15 human years of age. He had a thin, pale face, and dark brown hair. His eyes held her for a minute, and then slid down. His cheeks turned a deep shade of pink. Elena stared at him, unable to tear her eyes away from her first sighting of a human close up.

His reaction to her caused her quickly realize that something was wrong with her appearance. Maybe it was the way his eyes were turning crimson, the slack jaw, or the eyes inexorably glued to an area vaguely below her head which tipped her off.

Instinctively, she looked down at herself as well, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary she worked up the courage to ask him in an unsure, quiet voice,

"What?"

About two hours later, Elena awoke from her second nap under the straggly, stunted little tree. The effort of conversing with the pale-faced boy, who she had found out was name Elian, and the consequent shock she had experienced when he informed her that in the human world women were required to cover their breasts had been considerable. As she awoke the second time, she felt her body feeling stronger, more sure, as though the new legs had been slowly accepted into her system. The fishing net she had found, abandoned on the rocks nearby, rubbed uncomfortably over her chest, and she hoped she looked acceptable for the Royal courts. It was certainly the most dressed up she had ever been.

Two sharp bursts of trumpet loudly broke the peaceful silence. She looked up, startled, her instinct to flee. A large and gaudy grey carriage pulled up on the gravelly road near the beach, followed by six others behind it. She had barely noticed the road or the carriage till the man driving the horses had pulled out his gold trumpet. He now looked around, and spotting Elena, jumped officiously to the ground.

"Please stand to attention, all hail his Highness, His Excellency, His Superiority, the Great King Tybalt!" He proclaimed grandly into the silent, empty beach.

A frog in a nearby tide pool crocked noisily.

The man glared at it and then looked at Elena pointedly. "Oh!" She snapped out the daze she had fallen, and feeling her face turn red, scrambled to her feet.

Her heart beating crazily as she watched the man open the carriage door. It had one small curtained window. He knelt, and extracted a large rolled up red carpet, which he proceeded to unroll on the rocks. Elena stared at the curious proceedings. He then sprang back respectfully, and a tall figure stepped out of the carriage. Elena stepped a little closer, to get a better look.

The man who stepped out was garbed in the richest of fur coats, from the tip of his boots to his chin. He was not very tall, but taller than Elena herself. She felt, all of a sudden, very aware of her naked skin, the goosebumps caused by the wind on her navel and the strange, pale legs which were now her own.

A few nervous looking people converged around him shortly, fussing with his coat and offering him a glass of something brown, until he imperiously flicked them away. She was still too far to see his face, and feeling a little frightened, she decided to wait and see what was required of her before approaching the humans.

The man who was obviously the King Tybalt began walking down the red carpet, looking extremely out of place on the bare deserted beach. His procession followed at a distance behind, with soldiers attentively marching a few steps in front.

He stood in front of her now, looking down at her with condescension mottling his fair features. She stared at his face, the first man's face she had properly got to examine.

Instantly what struck her was its obvious difference to a merman's face. It had none of the same grace, the same beautiful lines and gentle arching brows she was accustomed to – instead this face was lean, with less music and more hardened features. A merman could be easily mistaken as perhaps a mermaid with male features, but this man exuded a certain maleness, something she noticed of all the soldiers behind him as well.

His hair was tawny, his skin pale, his eyes grey and intelligent. His face looked like it could be handsome if it were to smile, but because his haughty expression did not change, and did not look at her with kindness, but more with disdain, she did not feel comfortable or warm towards him, and wished that the proceedings could be less formal and impersonal.

He stared down at her for an instant and then made a slight gesture – and the trumpeter stood at attention and hollered out, "His Highness, His Excellency, His Superiority, the Great King Tybalt would like to address the new representative of Mer to his court!"

He glanced down at her, seemingly unimpressed with her fishing net.

"Welcome, Fishgirl, to the world of civilized beings and cultured royalty. You must surely be delighted to have been chosen from a highly competitive and often primitive bunch of merpeople to come join my government, for a term of three years. You predecessor-" Here his lip curled slightly-"was very well behaved, and thus we kept it -her for 10 years, but now that her marriage has kept her busy, we require another equally…compliant… member. I hope you will be useful and undemanding, and all will go well with this most cherished bond with the people of Mer."

_Well behaved? Am I his pet seagull? _"Thank you, human. It is my pleasure qne privilege to serve my people. I have every intention of being amenable to their cause." She stressed _their _as much as she could. The King stared at her with no discernable expression, and then started moving back to the carriage.

The trumpeter gestured to a carriage at the very end of the line, and she slowly walked to it, aware that every eye in the King's procession was on her.

The ride in the carriage was long, but Elena was relieved to have the time to herself to gaze out the window at the unfamiliar scenes. Human dwellings, pastures, barren fields, grey skies- they passed by her in an endless passing of space. She had also found that as more time passed from her transformation, the colder she felt. Three others sat in the carriage with her, two soldiers and a fat, rich looking woman, who all gazed out their windows, effectively ignoring her. She made a mental note to find a covering of some sort as her chills increased in intensity. In Mer, the only time it got too cold to bear was in the winter, but you usually adjusted quickly to do your Day Duties, and at night most slept near the dormant lava flows to keep warm. What she would have given for a lava bed in that chilly carriage!

After about 40 minutes, the carriage ride became bumpier and more uphill, and she noticed the road had changed from dirt to gravel. They passed an area with more human dwellings than before, and consequently, more humans. They stood by the carriages, staring at the long procession. Elena couldn't help but feel they all looked rather miserable, with heavy, ugly cloths and sullen, dark gazes. Her companions in the carriage seemed of likewise disposition, and she felt rather despondent herself at the notion of spending her life with these quiet, gloomy creatures. They moved out of what was probably the City she had heard of, and suddenly after a bend in the road, she saw the King's castle. It reared from the ground like an ugly shipwreck, with turrets and towers and black, menacing soldiers dotted around it like ants. They lowered the bridge for the carriages, and very quickly she found herself helped out of the carriage into an even colder courtyard. Visibly shaking with the cold, Elena stood uncertainly near the fat female human, unsure of what to do. She had understood she would be residing in the castle, but no one seemed to have any directions for her as to where she could go. The focus was entirely on the King, as he strode from his elegant carriage in through the castle doors with his footmen around him in perfect formation. Slowly, everyone followed through into the castle hall, and Elena followed the flow.

Beautiful, high ceilings were the first thing she noticed. The room she was in was large, round and airy, with a multitude of doors opening off on all sides. At the far end lay a large black throne, which was surrounded by strange black statues. The King and most of the crowd disappeared into one of the doors, and the rest dispersed through the rest of the adjoining passages. Elena was just about to ask the Fat Woman what she was to do, when a slim young human about the same age as her approached her shyly from the left.

"Miss Mer, my name is Aylin, and I am to be your handmaiden. If you'll follow me, I'll show you to your room – you look as you might want some warming up." She said, her large blue eyes gentle and calm. Elena would have shown her pleasure at her words, if she hadn't been shaking almost violently with cold and exhaustion.

She followed Aylin silently, through a number of passages and up various staircases to a small room on the third floor. Aylin explained this was where most of the guests of the castle lived; the fourth floors belonged to the King, while the second and first were for the dining rooms, ballroom, throne room and weaponry room. Elena's room was not large, but clean and warm. The bedframe was of simple dark oak, with a wardrobe as the only additional furniture. The best part was the fireplace though, which took up an entire wall. Elena had only heard of fire before, so while Aylin fussed with the bed covers, she dropped to her knees and stared at the dancing light and flames, feeling her skin slowly grow warmer.

Slowly, her mood improved. She was safe and warm in foreign territory, and Aylin's gentle presence had already made her feel a little less alone. A rustling sound behind her made her turn unwillingly from the fire. Aylin was moving a piece of cloth attached to the wall, to reveal a large clear surface from which she could see outside the castle. The sun was just setting, and it's orange gold rays filled the entire room with light, completely changing it with it's beauty. The surface type structure took up the entire wall opposite the fireplace, from top to bottom. There was a seat at the bottom of the opening.

Elena's jaw dropped. "What IS that?" She couldn't help the awe in her voice. Aylin grinned. "Pretty isn't it? You got lucky with the room, not all of them have such lovely windows." _Window. _Elena let the word roll around her tongue.

A knock on the door made them jump. "Ms Mer, you have been requested at dinner. Please be appropriately dressed and do not be late." A voice said from behind the door.

The thought made Elena droop. She was beyond tired, and the idea of facing the King and his cold, silent court made her feel exhausted and spent. Aylin looked at her uncertainly. "Everything alright, Ms Mer?"

"You can call me Elena. Would it be possible to rest for a while?"

"The King won't like it."

"He's not going to notice. Please inform whomever it was who knocked that I will not be attending dinner."

Aylin did not look comfortable with this, but she slipped out the door. This left me to finally crawl into the soft, white bed and sleep, every bone in my body exhausted from the cold, the journey and the stress of trying to be human.

Author's note: I am retuning to this story after a very long time, and so have decided that I would rather write it in first person. I want to make Elena's personality more complex and relatable but somehow in 3rd person it feels formal. Sorry for the jarring it may cause any readers, but I shall try to make the transition worthwhile. I will begin next chapter. Thank you for reading, and feel free to leave a comment below!


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